Theme guidelines
Category Rules
Heart of the Community: Places & Celebrations
Capture the spirit of local life.
From bustling markets and school fairs to quiet moments of connection — showcase what makes your town or region thrive. Entries might include community events, historical and cultural landmarks and gatherings of significance, local heroes, or tourists experiencing the area through fresh eyes.
Rules & Considerations
- Entries must focus on people, places or gatherings that reflect community life in Western NSW.
- May include images of festivals, markets, local heroes, public spaces, or social interactions.
- Photos must be taken within Western NSW or its local government areas.
Earth Alive: Nature, Wildlife & Sustainability
Celebrate the beauty and resilience of the natural world.
This category invites images of native flora and fauna, environmental conservation efforts, sustainable farming practices, or the raw beauty of untamed landscapes. Think about the bush at night, a landscape to get lost in, an action shot that captures a moment, or the outcome of regeneration.
Rules & Considerations
- Images should feature native flora or fauna, natural landscapes, or environmental efforts (e.g. conservation, regeneration).
- Animals must be in their natural habitat — no domestic or captive animals.
- Sustainable farming practices and environmental themes should relate to ecological health or awareness.
Minescapes: Industry in Harmony
Explore the relationship between mining and the environment.
Photos can show the contrast, coexistence, or connection between industrial activity and the land. Finding beauty in the unexpected, capturing historical scenes, land rehabilitation that shows the relationship and beauty in the industry. Think geology, patterns and the growth of nature within a harsh climate and environment — living and working together.
Rules & Considerations
- Images must relate to mining, industrial activity, or land rehabilitation in Western NSW.
- Can include historical or contemporary mining scenes, machinery, or landscapes.
- Should highlight the relationship between industry and the natural environment.
Outback Pulse: Livestock, Dust & Daily Life
Step into the rugged rhythm of rural life.
Highlight the character and challenges of the outback — mustering cattle, working dogs, long hard work, open skies, machinery, trucks, people, cars and transport, or the gritty detail of station life. This is a tribute to those who live and work on the land.
Rules & Considerations
- Content must relate to livestock, rural work, transport, or life on the land.
- Eligible subjects include cattle, sheep, farm machinery, working animals, fencing, and station workers.
- Should reflect authentic rural and outback living, not staged or studio shots.
Sunrise to Sunset: Rise, fall and delight of the elements
Capture awe, wonder and amazement.
Be open to the awe of nature at its best — capture a moment that occurs every day but always looks so different. Capture all conditions of wind, rain, earth, fire of the rise and fall. Lean into the dark starry nights of landscape and skies that evokes stillness and peace — lose yourself when looking up and out.
Rules & Considerations
- Entries should depict natural light and elements (e.g. sky, wind, fire, rain, dust, sunrise/sunset).
- May include dramatic skies, dramatic weather, light play or atmospheric landscapes.
- Emphasis on mood, tone, and capturing the fleeting nature of elemental beauty.
Lens Unlimited: Semi-Pro & Professional Open Showcase
An open canvas.
This category is for semi-professional and professional photographers to exhibit their best work — any theme, any style. From editorial-style portraits to high-drama landscapes, this is where technical skill and creative vision shine.
Rules & Considerations
- This is the only category open to semi-professional and professional photographers, as defined under the competition rules of entry.
- Any subject matter or style is accepted, provided it was shot in Western NSW.
- Semi-professional and professional entrants are not eligible for the People's Choice category.
- Images must reflect technical competence and creative vision.
JUNIOR: Funny, Weird & Wonderful: There's always something to smile about
Open eyes to humour, fun and difference.
An open canvas to explore strange and weird creatures, interesting things and people, funny moments. Find the unusual and surreal in people, places and things. Use your humour, make it meaningful, be creative, have fun. Capture signs, symbols and patterns in nature, a special event not often captured, or a big smile. It's your choice, be creative.
Rules & Considerations
- Open to entrants aged 16 or under at the close of the competition.
- Must be entered in the junior's own name and include date of birth.
- Submissions should focus on humour, unusual moments, strange beauty, or fun creativity.
- Judges will prioritise imagination, originality, and the ability to find joy or wonder in the everyday.